Waiting on the world to change
Song of the Day: Waiting on the World to Change - John Mayer
So, an older woman in my office returns from a visit to see her daughter for several days. She glides into her African American co-worker's office and plops a neon orange bag on her desk and then looks at her expectantly. Unsuspecting co-worker opens the bag to find eight jars of hair gel (which is not a product that she has ever used) and then looks up at her fellow co-worker in confusion:
Gifter: My daughter and I were the only two white women at a function that we went to and they handed out a lot of Black products. I thought that you could use these.
Giftee: Errr...I've never used hair gel before.... Maybe I can find someone who does...?
WTF!?! Get a clue!
Granted this IS the same office where the same older co-worker brought in a mixture of collard greens, black eyed peas and cornbread in a bowl and left it on the office's kitchen table as she took a call. Our boss walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water:
Boss yells out to African American worker (we'll call her Sarah): Sarah, you left your lunch on the table.
African American Sarah: Errr...that's not my lunch.
Now out of all the people who work in the office why would he assume that it's Sarah's lunch?
(Footnote: Sarah is the only African American in the office and has been told that she is the office's "Black representative").
It kills me every time I see/hear one of these rather insensitive comments made towards her. She just gets this look on her face that seems to say, "Ok, I know I'm on candid camera!" But the cameramen never appear...
So, an older woman in my office returns from a visit to see her daughter for several days. She glides into her African American co-worker's office and plops a neon orange bag on her desk and then looks at her expectantly. Unsuspecting co-worker opens the bag to find eight jars of hair gel (which is not a product that she has ever used) and then looks up at her fellow co-worker in confusion:
Gifter: My daughter and I were the only two white women at a function that we went to and they handed out a lot of Black products. I thought that you could use these.
Giftee: Errr...I've never used hair gel before.... Maybe I can find someone who does...?
WTF!?! Get a clue!
Granted this IS the same office where the same older co-worker brought in a mixture of collard greens, black eyed peas and cornbread in a bowl and left it on the office's kitchen table as she took a call. Our boss walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water:
Boss yells out to African American worker (we'll call her Sarah): Sarah, you left your lunch on the table.
African American Sarah: Errr...that's not my lunch.
Now out of all the people who work in the office why would he assume that it's Sarah's lunch?
(Footnote: Sarah is the only African American in the office and has been told that she is the office's "Black representative").
It kills me every time I see/hear one of these rather insensitive comments made towards her. She just gets this look on her face that seems to say, "Ok, I know I'm on candid camera!" But the cameramen never appear...
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